Abstract
At 85 years of age, Sami I. Said, MD, Distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York and former Chief of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division and Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Northport, New York, was just as passionate about his research in pulmonary circulation and pulmonary vascular pathobiology as he had ever been. Up until his death on April 30, 2013, Sami was still an active member of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), served as Chairman of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) Medical Advisory Committee, and was an active participant in the biannual Grover Conference.
Sami was born in Cairo, Egypt, where he trained as a medical doctor and worked at the Naval American Research Unit. In 1953, he came to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship. Sami completed his internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at the New York University Bellevue Medical Center. He later completed his pulmonary physiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical School.
“I was immediately quite impressed by his intellect, absolute love for science, and his unwavering enthusiasm for the molecule VIP,” said Paul Hassoun, MD, a close friend and colleague of Sami's. They first met at an ATS meeting, and the two men immediately bonded over their Middle Eastern heritage, “about which we were quite proud, a feeling mixed with worries, considering the endless turmoil in the region.”
Sami pursued research in pulmonary medicine his entire career, and at the 2000 ATS International Conference he was named the Amberson Lecturer for his major contributions to the understanding of physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms involved in pulmonary vascular function. There he gave a talk on “Unraveling the Mysteries of Acute Lung Injury: Cell Death and Survival Pathways as Targets of Intervention.”
Sami codiscovered the molecule vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) with colleague Viktor Mutt, PhD, at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and went on to publish several scientific papers on the topic. Devoted to an active career, Sami was never too busy to give advice and guidance to young investigators in the field.
“He was a true gentleman and always supportive of younger investigators,” says Nicholas S. Hill, MD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Division at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and former President of the ATS. Nicholas met Sami at an ATS conference 31 years ago when Sami congratulated him on his presentation. “He was always hoping to see the compound [VIP] commercialized for therapeutic use in pulmonary hypertension. Unfortunately, he never lived to see that hope realized.”
Sami will always be remembered for his contributions to the field of pulmonary circulation and widely respected for his research, which will continue to help develop novel therapeutic approaches for patients with pulmonary hypertension. He never retired.
Sami is survived by his sister, Nadia Behmann; his brother, Mufeed Said, MD; two nieces; and four nephews.